Railway-gate



(No Model.)

J. H. FITZGERALD.

RAILWAY GATE..

Patented Aug. 25, 1896-.

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No NI. "MWLH 1 UNirnD Sintes JAMES II. FITZGERALD, OF NEAPOLIS,VIRGINIA,

RAiLwAY-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 566,569, dated August25, 1896.

Application filed October 14, 1895, Serial No. 565,644. (No modeh) To`(l/ZZ wtont t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. FITZGERALD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Neapolis,in the county of Pittsylvania and State ofVirginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRailway-Gates; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this speciiication.

This device relates particularly to that class of railway-gates in whichthe gate is actuated by air automatically pumped by the passing train.

The purpose of my invention is to provide superior mechanism forautomatically controlling the rise and fall of the gate arm or mast; andthis mechanism consists of certain improved liftin g and droppingdevices located within the mast-stand, together with a peculiar kind ofautoma-tic pump and releasing mechanism disposed at suitable distancesupon either side of the gate, and arranged to actuate the droppingmechanism when the train is approaching, but not operable by the actionof the departing train, all of which will be more fully describedhereinafter and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l denotes aplan of my completeinvention; Fig. 2, a side elevation thereof, in which the partsimmediately connected with the gate are shown partly in section tobetter disclose the interior; and Fig. 3, an enlarged detail view,partly in section, of an automatic vent opening and closing valve torender the catch-operating pump operative and inoperative.

The mast or gate is represented by the letter d, and is pivoted at a ina suitable stand b. A cylinder c is suspended from the lower side of themast bya hinge d, located between the pivot and free end of the long armof the mast pear the pivot, and is raised and lowered with the mast byan air-pump e, disposed directly opposite the gate. This pump connect-swith the cylinder by an upwardly-extending pipe f, provided with apiston g, titting snugly within the cylinder and xed to a stationarypipef, so as to be immovable endwise, but to rock at the joint f", inorder to allow the cylinder to move laterally during its up and downmovements. The lower end of the cylinder is open, and the latter movesup and down over the piston g in contradistinction to those cylinders inwhich the cylinder is fixed and the piston movable. The gate andcylinder are sustained in elevated position by a laterally-movable catchh, withdrawn by an air-piston i and thrown out by a spring j, locatedwithin an air-cylinder 7o. The lifting-cylinder cis provided with a ventc', so disposed as to allow the air to escape when the sustaining-catchsnaps beneath the cylinder. The lifting-pump c is operated by the usualtread-bar c', placed alongside the track.

The gate-lowering mechanism consists of pneumatic pumps m and fm forreleasing the catch which holds up the gate. These pumps are located atsuitable distances uponopposite sides of the gate and are of the usualconstruction, each having a tread-bar m" like that of the gate-pump. Airis forced from the pumps to actuate the catch 7L through main pipes nand branch n', suitable checkvalves n being provided upon opposite sidesof the latter to prevent it from passing the gate and going on to theopposite pumps m m".

Each catch-releasing pump is provided with a valve-controlled vent q torender it inoperative by the departing train and operative by theapproaching tra-in for obvious reasons. This vent is controlled by ahorizontal rocking-lever o, lying normally parallel with the track andfulcrumed at o. To the opposite ends of this lever are hinged duplicaterods o, which pass through the adjoining rail at points upon oppositesides of the pump, where they are connected with the inner ends ofduplicate compressible plates 0"', adapt-ed to be flattened down againstthe rail by the flange of the passing car -wheel when approaching thepump, but to be left open when leaving it. The inner end of each isattached to the rail by a springbolt p, which permits the departingwheel to split between the inner end of the plate and the rail againstthe action of the spring-bolt. fr represents IOO the valve forcontrolling the vent q. This valve is connected to the rocking lever obetween lugs r and is movable back and forth in the branch pipe r".

When thus constructed, the operation can be summed briey as follows: Ifthe train is approaching the gate from the left, the flange of the iirstWheel will engage and press in the plate 0', rock the lever o, pushvalve r over the vent q, and place the pump m in condition to operate.The wheel now passes over the tread-bar, operates the pump Which forcesair into the air-cylinder 1I, moves the piston and catch 71, back, andallows the gate to drop by its own gravity. From the treadbar rrfv/'thewheel passes on between the open end of the succeeding compressibleplate 0', spreads it away from the rail, and goes on to the gate-pump,which forces air into the cylinder c and lifts the cylinder and gate upfar enough to allow the catch to be thrust beneath it to hold it up.Leaving the gate raised, the departing train passes on to the third pumpm, where it compresses the first plate 0 and opens the vent-valverimmediately before the wheels strike the pump, so that the latter isrendered inoperative and has no effect upon the catch which supports thegate and leaves the latter standing. As

the pumps m and m' are exactly alike7 a train approaching the gate fromeither direction will produce the same effect.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In combination With a gate-lifting cylinder, pump and catch, ofapneumatic pump for actuating the catch, said pump being provided with avent, a valve for controlling the vent, and automatic device actuated bythe train, whereby the vent is opened and the pump rendered inoperativeby the departing train and whereby the vent is closed to produce acontrary effect by an approaching train, substantially as described.

2. In an air-operated railway-gate, a gatereleasing device consisting ofan airbperated sustaining-catch, air-pumps located upon opposite sidesof the gate and in air connection with the catch, a valve-controlledvent for each pump, and train-operated plates disposed upon oppositesides thereof, and so connected with the valve as to open the vent uponthe approachy of a departing train1 sub stantially as described.

In witness whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES H. FITZGERALD.

Vitnesses:

J. A. REYNOLDS, B. S. MOTLEY.

